SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

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What Else Are You Reading? > What Else Are You Reading in 2019?

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message 1801: by Leticia (new)

Leticia (leticiatoraci) I'm hearing Circe and enjoying it a lot, I'll probably read other books by this author soon.


message 1802: by Carolyn (new)

Carolyn Chambers | 131 comments @Brick, Slaughterhouse Five is next up for me. Should get to it before weekend’s end. It’s one of the books I read in my early 20’s and I have NO memory of it whatsoever. Cat’s Cradle needs a reread from me as well!


message 1803: by Jacqueline (new)

Jacqueline | 2428 comments Just finished The Shelly Bay Ladies Swimming Circle by Sophie Green. Loved it.


message 1804: by Anthony (new)

Anthony (albinokid) | 1478 comments I loved both Slaughterhouse-Five and Cat’s Cradle. Vonnegut’s ability to use humor to illustrate the absurdity of humans’ cruelty, without diminishing the horror or brutality of what he’s writing about, is masterful.


message 1805: by Cecile (last edited Aug 01, 2019 12:35PM) (new)

Cecile | 11 comments Reading two books--actually three. One for my book club-- Meet Me at the Theresa: The Story of Harlem's Most Famous Hotel. The other two I go back and forth with: The Shadow of the Wind and Still Life.

The nonfiction about Harlem in the early to mid-1900s is interesting, with reminders of the ups and downs of human nature (no matter the race), but mostly about the need for a psychologically safe place to be when the whites mess with you for being black. In that place, Blacks flourished and had good times.

The Shadow is a somewhat dark tale, so well written. I have to take breaks. So I do, with the first Armand Gamache mystery. It's not quite a cozy mystery, but it is light with its focus on human nature.


message 1806: by Carolyn (new)

Carolyn Chambers | 131 comments @leticia, I loved Circe!! I want to read her book about Achilles as well.


message 1807: by Brick (new)

Brick Marlin Carolyn wrote: "@Brick, Slaughterhouse Five is next up for me. Should get to it before weekend’s end. It’s one of the books I read in my early 20’s and I have NO memory of it whatsoever. Cat’s Cradle needs a rerea..."

I haven't read Cat's Cradle. Bet that is a great read! That's something I'll need to tackle soon. Besides Slaughterhouse Five I've read Hocus Pocus and Breakfast of Champions. Both are excellent reads.


message 1808: by Brick (new)

Brick Marlin Anthony wrote: "I loved both Slaughterhouse-Five and Cat’s Cradle. Vonnegut’s ability to use humor to illustrate the absurdity of humans’ cruelty, without diminishing the horror or brutality of what he’s writing a..."

I agree! He was such a great writer.


message 1809: by Brick (new)

Brick Marlin Allison wrote: "Brick wrote: "I revisited "Slaughterhouse Five" by Kurt Vonnegut. I had forgotten how much fun it was. Gonna start "The Sirens of Titan" today."

That was a surprisingly good book--a great war stor..."


Most definitely!


message 1810: by Anat (last edited Aug 02, 2019 02:02AM) (new)

Anat (tokyoseg) | 77 comments I'm currently reading a YA book In Other Lands which I am actually immensely enjoying. The protagonist is a very sarcastic, annoying (there's actually a reason for that) pacifist kid who finds himself in a fantasy world he described at first as "Magic Sparta". The chapters are very long, each describing a year in the military boarding school in that magic land starting from his arrival at age 13.

I was also in the middle of reading The Shadow of the Wind, but I left the book on the coffee table (which I always do mind you), and my dog ate it T_T of course he ate it from the bottom and I was in the middle, so now I have to finish it on my kindle. Ironically, the book of the same title in this story is hidden in the library of forgotten books to keep it safe from being destroyed 🙃


message 1811: by Jemppu (last edited Aug 02, 2019 02:34AM) (new)

Jemppu | 1735 comments Anat wrote: "...I left the book on the coffee table (which I always do mind you), and my dog ate it T_T he ate it..."

This makes me so nostalgic of childhood <:D There was not a toy without at least some chew-marks on it in our household, and lost limbs were a common feature on figures.

I have to admit, I was wondering if you were joking on the other thread: it's the classic case of "dog ate my homework" after all <:)

I will now hold a moment of silence for your lost book.


message 1812: by Alia (last edited Aug 02, 2019 02:34AM) (new)

Alia (aliarichards) Fantasy Read in 2019 so far:
The Call (The Call, #1) by Peadar Ó Guilín The King of Elfland's Daughter by Lord Dunsany The Celtic Twilight Faerie and Folklore by W.B. Yeats Fifty-One Tales by Lord Dunsany The Wicked King (The Folk of the Air, #2) by Holly Black The Girl in the Tower (Winternight Trilogy, #2) by Katherine Arden A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin The Farthest Shore (Earthsea Cycle, #3) by Ursula K. Le Guin Magic's Pawn (Valdemar Last Herald-Mage #1) by Mercedes Lackey The Hazel Wood (The Hazel Wood, #1) by Melissa Albert Magic's Promise (Valdemar Last Herald-Mage #2) by Mercedes Lackey An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson Into the Drowning Deep (Rolling in the Deep, #1) by Mira Grant Rolling in the Deep (Rolling in the Deep, #0.5) by Mira Grant Good Omens The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett Tehanu (Earthsea Cycle, #4) by Ursula K. Le Guin

Upcoming Fantasy Books:
A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #1) by Sarah J. Maas Caraval (Caraval, #1) by Stephanie Garber

Fantasy Books that Need to be Read by the End of the Year:
Magic's Price (Valdemar Last Herald-Mage #3) by Mercedes Lackey Shadows Return (Nightrunner, #4) by Lynn Flewelling


message 1813: by Anat (last edited Aug 02, 2019 02:46AM) (new)

Anat (tokyoseg) | 77 comments Jemppu wrote:
This makes me so nostalgic of childhood <:D There was not a toy without at lea..."


hahah dogs are the best :) but I hope no more victims >< I think he's just hungry because we put him on sensitivity test diet for this month =_=

Thank you for the moment of silence <3


message 1814: by Gabi (last edited Aug 02, 2019 03:44AM) (new)

Gabi | 3441 comments In my personal challenge to read all the award winners (starting with Hugo and Nebula), I found No Enemy But Time by Michael Bishop (Nebula 1983) and Timescape by Gregory Benford (Nebula 1980) on my physical shelf and read them the last days.

Weeeell … let's just say, in both cases I have no idea what prompted the jury to choose those books ^^'


colleen the convivial curmudgeon (blackrose13) | 2717 comments I finished Witchmark last night. I liked it so much I was all prepared to order the next book from the library. Bummed that it doesn't come out 'til next year! Gah - it was so cute. The gay part of my heart is so happy...


message 1816: by Allison, Fairy Mod-mother (new)

Allison Hurd | 14221 comments Mod
colleen the convivial curmudgeon wrote: "I finished Witchmark last night. I liked it so much I was all prepared to order the next book from the library. Bummed that it doesn't come out 'til next year! Gah - it was so cute...."

Yay!! I thought you'd like it, but I know you are anti-hype so I didn't want to intrude. I'm glad you had such a good time with it!


colleen the convivial curmudgeon (blackrose13) | 2717 comments Allison wrote: "Yay!! I thought you'd like it, but I know you are anti-hype so I didn't want to intrude. I'm glad you had such a good time with it! "


I sort of missed the hype on this one, tbh, so that might've helped. ^_^ I saw that the Philly group was reading it for last month, and I read the blurb and thought it sounded good. Didn't hear much about it beforehand.

I'm also a sucker for a good romance story with magic. :>


message 1818: by CBRetriever (new)

CBRetriever | 6113 comments Even having Kindle books doesn't prevent the dog problem. I regularly post on the Amazon Device help forum and I've seen at least two "the dog ate my Kindle" cases.


message 1819: by Araych (new)

Araych | 59 comments The Gone World The Gone World by Tom Sweterlitsch by Tom Sweterlitsch

Combination of mystery thriller and science fiction. Female NCIS agent investigates murders. Time travel adds an extra dimension. This explanation is painfully inadequate. You have never read another book like this. Fabulous story, absolutely original. 5 stars.


message 1820: by Debbie (new)

Debbie Viguié (debbieviguie) | 1 comments One of my favorite Science Fiction books that also borderlines on Fantasy is The Whims of Creation by Simon Hawke. It's a standalone book that will amaze and captivate your mind. I only wish a film or a TV series would be created from this book.


message 1821: by YouKneeK (new)

YouKneeK | 1412 comments I just finished the third book in the Burton & Swinburne series, Expedition to the Mountains of the Moon. I wasn’t as enthusiastic about this one as the earlier two books. It started off well, but it started to get occasionally tedious around the middle. There’s a lot of travel and a series of similar-but-different events. My bigger complaint was with the end. There were some explanations I thought ruined the internal consistency of the series, and I also just didn’t care for some of the things that happened toward the end. My longer review.

The series has six books. I plan to try the fourth and see if I think things improve back up to the level of the first two books. If not, I’ll probably abandon the series. First, though, I’m going to take a brief break to read one of this month’s group reads, Elysium.


message 1822: by Don (new)

Don Dunham YouKneeK, It really chaps my hide when a series loses its sizzle ! dang it!


message 1823: by Anna (new)

Anna (vegfic) | 10434 comments I found out last night that there's a new T. Kingfisher thing out I didn't know about! The blurb made me snortle. I have to get it immediately! I'm trying not to click the buy button before I clean the house, because I really want to get that done today. I can reward myself with a T. Kingfisher once I'm done.

Minor Mage


message 1824: by Raucous (new)

Raucous | 888 comments Anna wrote: "I found out last night that there's a new T. Kingfisher thing out I didn't know about! The blurb made me snortle. I have to get it immediately! I'm trying not to click the buy butt..."

Cool! I've got things that I should be doing too. Perhaps I'll get to them between chapters. Thanks.

I'm currently reading Empress of Forever. It's very much an action space opera and I'm enjoying it enough to be only a little annoyed at the implausible competence of the main character.


message 1825: by Sarah (new)

Sarah | 3167 comments Anna I always see you singing Kingfisher’s praises- what are your favorite books by them?


message 1826: by Jacqueline (new)

Jacqueline | 2428 comments Just finished The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters by Balli Kaur Jaswal. It’s neither fantasy or sci-fi but it is brilliant. Her other book, Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows, was also great.


message 1827: by Anna (new)

Anna (vegfic) | 10434 comments Sarah wrote: "Anna I always see you singing Kingfisher’s praises- what are your favorite books by them?"

I would recommend, depending on your mood:

Jackalope Wives and Other Stories - Her short fiction is great, and that's where I started

The Raven and the Reindeer - Snow Queen retelling, younger protagonist, but darker themes and diversity, amazing animal sidekicks

Bryony and Roses - Beauty and the Beast retelling, younger protagonist, sweeter, lots of badass gardening and lovely use of wit

Swordheart - original story, older woman protagonist, romance, but with great side characters

These two are connected, both are in Jackalope Wives, but free online is a good way to see if you like her style:

https://www.apex-magazine.com/jackalo...
https://www.apex-magazine.com/the-tom...


message 1828: by Sarah (new)

Sarah | 3167 comments Thanks!! The blurb for Bryony and Roses made me laugh- added that one and Steelheart to my TBR, but I’ll try to check out the short stories later.


message 1829: by Sarah (new)

Sarah | 3167 comments Oh! I just realized Kingfisher has another new one out I’m really looking forward to- The Twisted Ones!! Looks like it’s slated for October release.


message 1830: by Anna (new)

Anna (vegfic) | 10434 comments Sarah wrote: "Oh! I just realized Kingfisher has another new one out I’m really looking forward to- The Twisted Ones!! Looks like it’s slated for October release."

Yeah it's her first horror, and I'm going to read it and probably regret it :D


message 1831: by Pam (new)


message 1832: by Carolyn (new)

Carolyn Chambers | 131 comments ReReading Slaughterhouse Five. Some really powerful passages in this book (like Campbell’s analysis of the poor in America) that are amazingly relevant to our current times. Glad I’m rereading because I don’t think this would have had such an impact on me in my 20’s.


message 1833: by Sarah (new)

Sarah | 3167 comments I usually only post in this thread if I read something really outstanding that I also think would appeal to this group- and I am pleased to say I just finished Fate of the Fallen by Kel Kade and I think it’s something that could appeal to most of the readers here: not too dark, witty banter, humorous, no obvious content warnings I can think of, no romance...

The tag line (may contain a mild spoiler for the first fifty pages of the book): (view spoiler)


message 1834: by Krystal (new)

Krystal (krystallee6363) I've just started Recursion by Blake Crouch and it is one heck of a trip.


message 1835: by Joelle.P.S (new)

Joelle.P.S | 150 comments Jacqueline wrote: "Just finished The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters by Balli Kaur Jaswal. It’s neither fantasy or sci-fi but it is brilliant. Her other book, Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows, was also..."

I enjoyed her Inheritance but haven't read the others yet (TBR increases...). :-)


message 1836: by Jacqueline (new)

Jacqueline | 2428 comments I haven’t read Inheritance yet. My TBR increases too lol Can’t wait to find it. I know I haven’t come across it anywhere or it would be already on my iPad. I read Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows last year when it was a Reece Witherspoon pick and I devoured it. The Shergill Sisters only came out recently and I had to have it. I read it in one day. Couldn’t put it down.

But then again I love stories about India and Indian women. Two of my favourite movies are Bend it Like Beckham and Bride and Prejudice. And Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Not exactly hard hitting but they show sides of life in India and the pressures put on young (and old) Indians all over the world. Men and women. And Bride and Prejudice has singing like a proper Bollywood movie. Anyhoo....that’s me...


message 1837: by Allison, Fairy Mod-mother (new)

Allison Hurd | 14221 comments Mod
I'm excited about the new Kingfisher(s)! I loved Bryony and Roses, less so Clockwork Boys, so I expect I resonate better with her retellings, which is no real shock to me lol

Also, dang, Alia, I don't know why I didn't see your post before but that's a pretty good year so far, I think!!

No spoilers, but Jade War was fun and also kind of a let down for me.

Now reading Perdido Street Station and The Devourers!


message 1838: by Carolyn (new)

Carolyn Chambers | 131 comments Reading Tamora Pierce’s first in the Circle of Magic series Sandry’s Book and really enjoying it. Teenagers can be such asses to each other. :)


message 1839: by Allison, Fairy Mod-mother (new)

Allison Hurd | 14221 comments Mod
aww, I love those books. Excited to read what people think in the BR!


message 1840: by Gabi (new)

Gabi | 3441 comments @Allison: you're reading Perdido Street Station and The Devourers together? you're in for a lot of yucky stuff. But I adored both of those books.


message 1841: by Anat (new)

Anat (tokyoseg) | 77 comments CBRetriever wrote: "Even having Kindle books doesn't prevent the dog problem. I regularly post on the Amazon Device help forum and I've seen at least two "the dog ate my Kindle" cases."

Omg! I'd worry about my dog's teeth..... I keep the kindle in my bag, but at least the contents are saved on Amazon cloud? (and SotW kindle version is on sale at an incredible timing lol!)


message 1842: by Karen (new)

Karen (librarykatz) | 262 comments Jacqueline wrote: "Just finished The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters by Balli Kaur Jaswal. It’s neither fantasy or sci-fi but it is brilliant. Her other book, Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows, was also g..."

I loved Erotic Stories and grabbed up Unlikely Adventures in the hopes that it would be just as good. Glad to hear it passes muster!


message 1843: by Allison, Fairy Mod-mother (new)

Allison Hurd | 14221 comments Mod
Gabi wrote: "@Allison: you're reading Perdido Street Station and The Devourers together? you're in for a lot of yucky stuff. But I adored both of those books."

Oh shoot. You're right. Yucky doesn't generally bother me, but it might make me compare the two...that wouldn't be fair. Maybe I'll put it on hold for a quick *ahem* okay for a frenzied trip through The Rage of Dragons first, then.


message 1844: by Michelle (new)

Michelle (michellehartline) | 3169 comments Book 7 of The War of Light and Shadow series by Janny Wurts.


message 1845: by YouKneeK (new)

YouKneeK | 1412 comments I finished reading Elysium earlier this evening. Since it’s one of this month’s group reads, I won’t comment on it here. There’s a review on my profile and I’ll likely comment on the spoiler thread once it’s up.

Next up I plan to read The Secret of Abdu El-Yezdi which is the fourth book in that Burton & Swinburne series I’ve been reading. The series is on probation after book three, so this book will determine whether I continue with the rest of the series. :)


message 1846: by Gabi (new)

Gabi | 3441 comments Finished The Way of Kings (2nd reading). More about it in the respective thread once I'm back home next week. This is one of the two books (the other one being Hyperion) where I wished I could give even more stars to mark it as special to me.


message 1847: by Eric (new)

Eric | 463 comments I continue in the lands of Osten Ard with book three of the original trilogy, To Green Angel Tower (Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, #3) by Tad Williams To Green Angel Tower. I find it humorous that the author, in one of his acknowledgements, calls this tale, "a bloated epic."


message 1848: by Leticia (new)

Leticia (leticiatoraci) I finished a space opera novella, Killing Gravity (The Voidwitch Saga, #1) by Corey J. White and gave it 5 stars. Read it in one sitting as it's a page turner and will be following the series.


message 1849: by Ryan, Your favourite moderators favourite moderator (new)

Ryan | 1746 comments Mod
I'm plowing through Naomi Novik's Temeraire series with little joy at the moment. It's given me reason to wonder about how and why we justify our actions at least.


message 1850: by Karen (new)

Karen (librarykatz) | 262 comments I just finished up The Calculating Stars. I really enjoyed it, enough to want to go on to the next in the series.

I'm about 1/3 of the way through The Golden Tresses of the Dead and, as always, thoroughly enjoying the precociousness of Flavia. And I learn tidbits of science that I was completely oblivious to.

Listening to Born to Be Wilde. Nothing like a little heavy breathing to make my commute more enjoyable. When this one gets returned then I'm going to finish The Hanging Tree.


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